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School Profile · Lost Hills

A. M. Thomas Middle: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

A. M. Thomas posts 38% meeting the standard and 10.2% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

20979 Lobos Court, 93249 (opens in new tab)·Lost Hills Union Elementary·Lost Hills·Grades 6-8·90 students·97% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 797-2626
Scope Score
41
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,125 statewide

A. M. Thomas Middle scores 41 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 50th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

Most rating sites would stop at “38% proficient” and call it done. A. M. Thomas deserves a closer read. The school sits in Lost Hills, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 8.3% chronic absenteeism — versus 18.5% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

9%
31%
60%
Grade 6 · 40% proficient
21%
34%
45%
Grade 7 · 55% proficient
42%
54%
Grade 8 · 46% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 5.5pp across grades; the floor rises 5.5pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
10.2%
State 16.8%
6.7pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-1.3pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
38.5%
State 39.3%
0.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
8.3%
State 18.5%
10.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.3%
State 3.7%
1.3pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
26.7%
State 18.0%
8.7pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
High School
No feeder data available for this level

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Your other options

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic97.8%
Asian2.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 96.7% (33pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
90
770 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
30:1
9 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$36,931
District avg: $23,660 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
26.7% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$50,289 – $95,453
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At A. M. Thomas Middle in Lost Hills, 47.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 45.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. A. M. Thomas Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (30.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (47.1% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 86 students tested.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income86 tested
ELA 47.7%·Math 30.2%· +2.5pp vs district
Hispanic85 tested
ELA 47.1%·Math 29.4%· +3.0pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 4.2pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +4.2pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 53%Support 40%Other 7%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$47K
$38K below CA median
Median Home Value
$170K
$489K below CA median
Bachelor's+
2%
33pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
16.8 years avg experience
6 teachers
Teacher Credentials
62% fully credentialed

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is A. M. Thomas Middle a good middle school?
A. M. Thomas Middle has a Scope Score of 41 out of 100, placing it in the 50th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,125 statewide. 10.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.7 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are A. M. Thomas Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 38.5% of students at A. M. Thomas Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 28.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 174 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does A. M. Thomas Middle rank in California?
A. M. Thomas Middle ranks #1,125 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 50th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is A. M. Thomas Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at A. M. Thomas Middle decreases by 1.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at A. M. Thomas Middle?
8.3% of students at A. M. Thomas Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 2.3%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does A. M. Thomas Middle compare to other schools in Lost Hills?
A. M. Thomas Middle scores 41/100 (50th percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 90 students. Use the schools in Lost Hills page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does A. M. Thomas Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At A. M. Thomas Middle in Lost Hills, 47.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 45.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. A. M. Thomas Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (30.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (47.1% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 86 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
10.2%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 43th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
-1.3pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 51th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
38.5%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
8.3%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 64th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.3%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 55th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
26.7%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 56th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 6329%31%19%41%41%−6
Grade 72921%34%21%24%55%+7
Grade 8264%42%38%15%46%+0
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 63213%19%22%47%31%−4
Grade 7297%28%34%31%34%+1
Grade 8268%15%23%54%23%−9
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11260%19%77%4%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged8647.7%+2+9
Hispanic/Latino8547.1%+3+8
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
A. M. Thomas Middle ←4110.2%38.5%−1.32.3%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
30%41%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1476 → #1664 → #553 → #1013 → #1125
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue